Thursday, February 9, 2017

If you missed out on yesterday's incredible American Magazine Media Conference; you can at the very least see photos and images of what and whom you missed like Chairman and CEO of Meredith Corporation Steve Lacy speaking powerfully about the future of magazine media at many key points across the conference.

Talent is sacred; culture eats strategy for breakfast; brand is a magnet; and, great journalism and smart storytelling help your brand stand out in a world of white noise. These were four of the lessons shared by HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler at the MPA’s American Magazine Media Conference (AMMC) in New York on 8 February. Time Inc.’s chief content officer Alan Murray interviewed Plepler and discussed factors underlying the network’s strong, ongoing subscription growth.

In the past five years, Forbes’ online audience grew from 13 million to 56 million and contributors to the site from 200 to 2,000 – reflecting the stature of Forbes as a brand delivering information across a range of topics that would not have been possible as a non-transformed legacy magazine brand. To achieve this type of transformation, according to Forbes COO Michael Federle, “you cannot be driven by a fear of change. You want to be the change.”

Attracting and “accommodating” advertisers is key to the publishing business, a panel of magazine media executives agreed at the 2017 American Magazine Media Conference (AMMC), held Wednesday in New York City.

Joyous expletives lace winners' speeches as unsuspecting editors-in-chief take home ASME awards: Mother Jones, the independent progressive magazine, won Magazine of the Year at the National Magazine Awards lunch hosted by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, this afternoon at Cipriani on Wall Street.

Mother Jones last won an Ellie in 2013, taking the Video award for its secret recording of the private Mitt Romney fundraiser at which the former presidential candidate spoke his now-infamous “47 percent” line.

“In a year that rocked our country and challenged our industry, Mother Jones found new ways to engage audiences and continue its practice of fearless journalism,” the ASME Magazine Of The Year citation read.

"Cover of the Year" honors in Germany and now the U.S. - Edel Rodriguez has followed a recent award in Germany for magazine “Cover of the Year” with a similar prize from the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME.)

Confessions of Magazine Executives: "I Hear People Talk About Fortune and Forbes, and We’re Five Years Behind."

Max Wilens writes: "Visit any trade group conference, and everything is going to sound great... A lot of that was in evidence Tuesday at the American Magazine Media Conference, but we thought it would be more fun to skip those and ask some attendees to open up about what they’re seeing on the ground."

Time Inc. has launched a new video brand, Coinage, available on all Time Inc.’s 22 sites. This is the first project leveraging Time Inc.’s extensive restructuring to produce content across its portfolio of brands.

Watch the very first episode online: The ambitious Cosmopolitan staff learns there is no environment more competitive than the magazine industry in NYC - especially after a big announcement sends the office into a tailspin.

(Starting at 21:40) WomensHealthMag.com Site Director, Robin Hilmantel, appeared on Cheddar TV’s “Between the Bells” show yesterday to talk about the Women’s Health “Confessions” issue. Hosts Alyssa and Baker revealed their own confessions live using the hashtag #WHConfessions.

Janice Min Steps Down as THR Editor to Take New Role at Parent Company

News comes ahead of a reported sale of both The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard: The chief architect of The Hollywood Reporter’s revival, Janice Min, is stepping down from her role as editor-in-chief. Min joined the brand seven years ago, and has been repeatedly applauded across the industry for how she reimagined a legacy B2B brand. She didn’t stop with THR, however, she also orchestrated a similar makeover for sister brand Billboard.

Snowstorm Blasting Northeast with up to 18 Inches, Surpassing Expectations A

Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights, winter storm warnings stretched from Maine to New Jersey and salt trucks deployed across the region Thursday as the season's most dangerous snow event rolled into the Northeast.

MPA–The Association of Magazine Media has released its 2016/17 Magazine Media Factbook today, the definitive source of magazine media research. Since 1985, MPA has been compiling and packaging the most compelling and comprehensive facts and figures around magazine media. Derived from third-party sources and MPA’s own research and data collection, the new Factbook has nearly 100 pages of current and useful information.
“Nothing informs a discussion better than solid data,” said MPA’s President and Chief Executive Officer Linda Thomas Brooks, “and the 2016/17 Magazine Media Factbook has plenty of conversation starters. The research continues to show that magazine media is the most trusted, inspiring and influential of all media, and several new studies provide even more proof of magazine media’s unique ability to drive sales.”

The Undefeated, ESPN’s multimedia content platform focused on the intersection of sports, race and culture, today revealed “The Undefeated 44” – a list of living and past African Americans with extraordinary accomplishments and contributions who are symbols of pride and aspiration.

“The Undefeated 44” was compiled by a panel of editors, senior writers, contributors and other stakeholders at The Undefeated as part of its month-long Black History Month content initiative. The list was limited to 44 as a tribute to the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama – the first African-American president.

“The Undefeated 44” covers a broad spectrum of African American experiences in the United States – pioneers, dreamers, innovators and geniuses.